Ramblings

Clare Balding's long-held wish, to sample the walking delights of the Isle of Man, is finally satisfied as she heads to the north of the Island to explore Glen Dhoo and Ravensdale. She walks in the company of local artist, Michael Starkey and guide Chris Callow, two proud Manxmen. The walk can be found on 0S Landranger 95. Producer Lucy Lunt.

Clare Balding joins Multiple sclerosis sufferer, Jo Fielder, on a training walk, just before she attempted to cover the entire length of the Ridgeway in just seven days. They were joined by Jo's husband, Jake and former track and field athlete, David Hemery. Winner of the 400 metres hurdles in the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City, David has been a source of inspiration and training advice to Jo...

In this series of Ramblings, Clare Balding is walking with people or in places recommended by listeners. Eryl Davies wrote to the programme suggesting a walk in the hills of North Wales with her father, Tegid. He lives near Blaenau Ffestiniog and loves to explore the area every day, usually alone with his dog Twm. Not that unusual except that Tegid has no sight and relies on his memory and his can...

Clare Balding takes the Cornish coastal path from Constantine Bay to Harlyn, in the company of two women for whom walking has been the cement in their friendship. Sarah Rossiter and Rebecca Newsom met at university and although their lives have taken them in very different directions; Sarah works for an investment bank , Rebecca for Greenpeace, they try to ensure they get together every few months...

Clare Balding sadly says goodbye to The Nidderdale Way as she embarks on the last leg of this fifty three mile circular walking route. Her guides for the day, Margaret Lawrenson, Chris Bennett and John Byrom, persuade her to take a small detour to explore Brimham Rocks, an enchanted natural play park for children and a nightmare for grandparents. Once back on track they walk through some of the mo...

Clare Balding nears the end of her walk along The Nidderdale Way, a fifty three mile route, that starts and finishes in Pateley Bridge. Today she walks the most easterly stretch passing through the Ripley Estate, home to the Ingilby family for over seven hundred years. Sir Thomas Ingilby a keen long distance walker, and his wife Lady Emma, explain how they welcome ramblers through the estate and h...

Clare Balding is walking The Nidderdale Way in North Yorkshire for this series and here she completes the fourth leg of the route from Bewerley to Dacre Banks. She's accompanied by three members of the Tordoff family. Keith, came to the town of Pateley Bridge, that lies in the centre of the dale, twenty five years ago with his wife, Gloria. He gave up the stress of being a police officer in Leeds...

Clare Balding is walking the whole of The Nidderdale Way, a circular fifty three mile walking route in North Yorkshire. In this edition she walks from Heathfield to Bewerley in the company of Robin Hermes and Simon Dunn, two self-styled, grumpy old men. They have been walking together, along with their friend Richard, every month for over thirty-five years and this is the first time they've actual...

Clare Balding embarks on the second leg of the Nidderdale Way , a 53 mile circular walk that begins and ends in the North Yorkshire town of Pateley Bridge. Today she's joined by the Rev Darryl Hall and Methodist minister, Mike Poole, who work and walk together regularly , known locally as the Ant and Dec of the church. Mike's wife Julia also comes along with the map to ensure they stay on track. T...

In this series Clare Balding will walk the Nidderdale Way, a spectacular fifty- three mile route in North Yorkshire, encircling the valley of the River Nidd. On this first section from Pateley Bridge to Scar House Reservoir, she's joined by local walking expert, Stephen Spellman and Michelin star chef, Frances Atkins. Frances is one of only six female chefs in the UK to have a Michelin Star, her r...

Clare Balding joins some of the members of START - Students and Refugees Together, to explore some of the beautiful countryside in easy access of Plymouth. START is a small charity that works with refugees in the city by putting them together with student volunteers to help them become self-reliant and active contributors to their local community. Walks are an important part of the organisation, e...

Clare Balding returns to her favourite county, Northumberland, to walk part of Isaac's Tea Trail, a thirty-six mile (58km) circular route, starting from Allendale. This long distance path, launched in 2002, was inspired by the tale of Isaac Holden, an itinerant tea seller and philanthropist who in Victorian times was a familiar figure on the rough tracks over Allendale Common and Alston Moor. Clar...

Clare Balding walks in the footsteps of Jane Austen as she takes a path regularly taken by Jane, from her home in Chawton, now a museum, to Farringdon, to visit her friends. Clare is joined by husband and wife, Martyn and Sue Dell. Both work as volunteers at the museum, fulfilling a long held ambition of Sue's. She fell in love with Austen as a teenager upon first reading Pride and Prejudice and h...

Clare Balding heads for the Clwyd Hills in North Wales as she joins the county's Archaeologist, Fiona Gale, to find out more about the many Iron Age hill forts that are so prevalent along the range. They start at Moel Arthur , walking along to Penycloddiau, one of the largest sites. They are joined by two of Fiona's colleagues. David Shiel and Helen Mrowiec, all three of whom are passionate about...

Clare Balding is in the Derbyshire Peak District to meet a group of women who call themselves the Hucklow Howlers. They've been walking and running together for twenty five years. They meet up each year to walk from Great Hucklow and they now take Clare on one of their favourite circular routes from Great Hucklow via Bradwell . They explain to Clare how much the group means to them and how staying...

Clare Balding explores a new pathway just outside Clifden in County Galway. This walking route, across the Derrigimlagh Bog, is a mosaic of tiny lakes and peat rich flora and fauna. Its a fairly lonely spot, as walking guide, Paul Phelan explains but its the place where two truly remarkable events of the twentieth century took place. In October 1907 the first commercial transatlantic message was t...

Clare Balding travels to Ireland, County Mayo, to retrace the steps of those who walked from Louisburg to Delphi, in 1849 at the height of the potato famine, in the hope of receiving aid. Now known as The Doolough Tragedy Famine Walk, hundreds of people come from all over the world to walk the twelve miles each year in memory of those who died of starvation along the route. Clare talks to Joe Murr...

Clare Balding walks in Suffolk with the writer Geoff Nicholson. They talk of the history of walking, of flaneurs, pedestrianism and psychogeography. Geoff has delighted in walking all his life; from the daily walk to school,to trips with his father to the Peak District to the rambles he now takes around his new home of Los Angeles. He explains to Clare that his favourite walk is always his next on...

Clare Balding walks the The South Downs, from Bo Peep to Alfriston, in the company of writers June Goodfield and Lynne Truss. They've both been involved in a project for local people to write a new version of Eleanor Farjeon's poem, A Sussex Alphabet. Eleanor may be best known for the words to the much loved hymn Morning Has Broken. June and Lynne adore the South Downs although Lynne admits to bei...

Clare Balding marks the eightieth anniversary of the Jarrow crusade, when two hundred men walked from Tyneside to London to petition the British government to bring back industry to their town. The the closure of the main employer, Palmer's shipyard. in 1934 had led to most of the population of Jarrow being plunged into poverty. Clare has three companions on this walk ; Robert Colls, professor of...

Clare Balding continues her series of talking to, or about, those who have a real passion for walking. As a teacher, heavily involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, Lynn had always known how beneficial it was for young people to get out into the countryside but when she and her partner Jacqueline, adopted three siblings, who had all experienced emotional difficulties, walking took on a...

Clare Balding explores part of The Pilgrims Way in the company of Canon Clare Edwards, who, as a member of the clergy at Canterbury Cathedral has the job of looking after all pilgrims en route from Winchester to Canterbury or Canterbury to Rome. They're joined by Jackie McAll who intends to complete the one hundred and thirty mile walk this month in gratitude for five years of sobriety, following...

In this new series of Ramblings, Clare Balding talks to those for whom walking is more than a leisure activity but a passion that's vital to their lives. In this first programme she goes to Thursley in Surrey to meet the novelist and screenwriter, David Nicholls. His first novel, 'Starter for Ten' was followed by the much acclaimed 'One Day', and as David admits to Clare. its success took him a li...

Clare Balding meets Phoebe Smith, an expert in planning long walks and bagging bothies.

Clare Balding joins Graham Hoyland and his partner, Gina Waggott, as they retrace the steps they took in 2015 along the Cotswold Way as part of their three month epic walk of 500 miles, following the progress of the spring as it spread up England from the south coast to Gretna Green. They planted an acorn every mile and are thrilled to discover some of them have grown. They talk to Clare about the...